LIABILITIES

Chapter Seven - Ruin or Repair

ELLIS

I'm wandering aimlessly around the house at 8:50 in the evening. It's not really usual behaviour for a twenty-three year old. Including my family, most people are out with friends, at the movies or at a bar or really just acting... normal. But, these are the cards I've been dealt with a no return policy - so, I guess it'll have to do. I walk through the foyer and I hear footsteps literally running down the stairs. I look up through the railings to see white sneakers and black denim jeans with rectangular cutouts to show off tanned knees. My eyes travel up past the cinched waist and hourglass hips only to meet a pair of white eyes staring back at me. She looks like a deer in headlights - why is she dressed so nicely? Her shoes are on... where is she going this late?

"You're pretty dressed up." I say as she reaches the bottom step.

"And you're not. Great observations were made today." She's still pissed about what was said in the basement.

"You're quick, Rose." I can't help but grin at her.

"You've still kept the nicknames I see." She catches herself in the mirror and almost hesitates to look at it, but it appears as though she has to because she physically drags her eyes up to her reflection - only to look completely devastated by what she saw looking back at her.
I take a deep breath as I realise that slowly but surely, I'm getting to see the real Hadley. I'm begging to see through little cracks in the walls around her. But I need to be better to her if I want to see her walls crumble all of the way. I've been trying to weigh out which is more important for a while now - protecting myself with my cold exterior or diving deep into the depths of Hadley-Rose Ambrose.

I think I might have made my decision.

"You told me not to talk to you unless I figured some shit out." I say, I look at her sheepishly.

"I did." She crosses her arms, standard.

Here I go.
"Well, I just came to tell you that -"

A ringtone coming from her back pocket of her jeans makes her jump and makes me want to punch a wall. I was about to make the next step in this little game we've got going. She clearly wants to know what I had to say because she just hangs up.

"Uh, what were you saying?" She seems... on edge. I can't put my finger on it but something about her is different tonight.

I eye her suspiciously but her eyes plead me to carry on, and so I do. "So, I've been thinking and I -"

Her phone is ringing again and this time she slams down hard on the 'decline' button with frustration... or is it panic? Being in the army has gave me a really good ability of reading people, and Hadley is definitely acting sus. What is she hiding from me? My eyebrows furrow and I squint my eyes in distrust - "You wanna get that?"

She's so focussed on her phone that she slips out - "No, he can wait. Carry on -"

"He?" I cut her off, sharp as a knives edge and she can tell that I know somethings up.

"Ellis, I -"

It rings again and I've had enough. "Pick up the phone, Rose." She just stares at me... her eyes are begging me to stop. "It's clearly important."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. Just -"

She's starting to fidget nervously. "You won't like who -"

"Just - " I need to remind myself to breathe. "- answer the phone."

She holds her head in her hands and shakes it as her phone rings again. "Ellis, I swear -"